The only thing of any importance about politics is the voting results, keeping in mind that "politics" is not the same thing as "government." And, the important thing to remember about voting results is that people vote for all sorts of reasons, many having very little to do with what might be called "issues." One classic example of that is people who vote invariably for candidates of a specific political party on nothing more than the say-so of some other person. There are "quiet" reasons like,"He’s my brother-in-law." There are groundless reasons like appearance. Regardless of the reason(s) or the person voting, what counts in the end is the results of the voting.

If one is a candidate (or close to one), incidentals like what kind of hat sits on a head is substantially important if it can be used to emphasize something with those looking for something to like or dislike. …And, there are a lot of candidates with friends “out there somewhere” who really hope to discover any scrap somehow usable, but they certainly are not "everybody." If there are sub-groups, those results may have value, as in Iowa votes "a" and California votes "b" but Hawaii results won’t be in until later. Again, that is not important news for everyone. Other small factors exist, but ultimately what really is "the news" for all is the end result of the voting.

And, what brought this up? A relatively big news source heavily relied upon in remote situations recently threw out a relatively good “tidbits” news list. It still lists some stuff “news," but it’s "news according to," limited form, from five popular companies none of which are preferred here. There are two new sections labeled “politics” amid it, when there is really no up-coming major election. For the record and with reason, the belief here is that internationally the very best news source in the whole world is the British Broadcasting Corporation. For American news, the best bet is the AP. There will be some further explanation of some of the viewpoint here.

Friday morning…. Five o’clock a.m. is too early to be getting up, but if there is a need for the bathroom that takes enough action to be fully awake afterwards. Might as well have some coffee and check the mail and news headlines. Aide is coming later, food delivery is coming later. Thank goodness the lists for those are done, money for them figured out. They just need to have the money put out for them. Mail and news in new system. "They" said there was a new system in the works. Oh! The pain! Can’t count enough to count the money. Eat breakfast, the mini brownies not the donuts that need thawing out in the microwave. Remaining coffee will need a heat up.

The brownies were spur of the moment, seen in the machines in the basement, the trip down needed Thursday because the doctor was in the community room. The package said sell by Sep 12 2014. It’s almost September 2014. It was just yesterday that it was 1998. That’s about when cousin Gary died if what "they" said was true, the how, where, etc., a matter yet to be explored – no obituary notices found. Surely in Chicago there’s some place for information. The brownie package said five count but there were six in it, a small gift. Bill’s grandson gets operated on this morning, premature and barely two months old. Sam’s goin’ fishin’ as soon as Betty calls him.

Sell by September 12, 2014 – September, the year is about over. Some “sell by” dates say 2015 already, probably even 2016. That year 2000 number was nothing but spin of the earth identification label. The way dire predictions of then could have been handled was to say that 2000 years seemed to be a sure thing, but there was no one back then that could hazard even a wild guess on more. Given nuclear weapons and bombing in the streets of the U.S.A. the world may still go up in smoke, just not today. If Bill’s little grandson gets to be 20 years old, it will be 2034. There’s already no room for thoughts of 1998 much beyond the old folks’ home. Those under twenty can’t relate.

Every week the pictures come – cute stuff, classical paintings, geometric designs and more. One problem is to pick what to share. This time it began with toss up between the Mona Lisa, a beautiful sailing ship for people to copy and the hare that’s well liked by a friend. And, then it was a good idea to quit looking as the page is only so big and there are many more with value. Somehow the ship seemed particularly fitting as it’s a lovely summer day outside and a time to go sailing, although it would more likely be in something less “grand.” Many people are well aware of the Mona Lisa, so here are the hare and ship.

It once was said that if women didn’t get married, there were four ways they could get jobs to earn a living: teaching, nursing, as a social worker or doing secretarial or office work. Actually, there were a couple of more. They could get jobs as domestic help or, if skilled enough, some could get into very small businesses operations wherein the skills could be traded for cash, two easy examples being the like of dressmaking and minor farming (raising chickens, selling the eggs, etc.). Some minor sales jobs could be found for enterprising women and some with good contacts and exceptional talent might find a corner in the arts. (This is not to go into anything in the illegal spectrum.)

Except for the sales and to an extent the arts, all of the above are extensions of “home making” skills. In other words, the "left over" women in a community still functioned in the realm of wives and mothers. It is just that some were more highly trained. Events might develop that changed the outlook temporarily. During the second world war, as the men were in the armed services, women did jobs from which they were mustered out just as men were mustered out of the armed services, a woman’s “place" being the home. Pioneer women also did more than those in established towns and cities. As we know now, “a woman’s place is in the home” is being phased out, and with it other long-standing "traditions."

More men seem to be working in the "women’s jobs" and more women may be taking up engineering and truck driving, but it is anything but 50/50 in either case, although it certainly doesn’t have to be "even." Some credit should be showered on the men with the courage to take on the second-rated subservient positions on a career basis. The men of this world do have such talents. And, some of the shaky traditions need some re-thinking. That part of the "new" social order has barely been touched, while powers are fighting changes desperately. There’s a point where things are irrational. A friend says excluding women excludes fifty percent of the talent base. Goes for men, too.